Holocaust Memory in Ultraorthodox Society in Israel

"Michal Shaul makes a good case for her claim that Ultraorthodox survivors of the Holocaust who came to Israel were able to create a viable new life, and one that was not altogether outside the mainstream of Israel."—Steven T. Katz, author of The Holocaust in Historical Context

"Michal Shaul deals with materials from the Haredi world with a remarkable combination of empathy and academic objectivity. She brings to awareness an entire field of religious development, that of Haredi survivors in the Land of Israel."—Gershon Greenberg, author of Jewish Religious Philosophical Thinkers

"Michal Shaul's innovative and thoughtful book teaches us how members of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) society in Israel related to the Holocaust during the first decade and a half after the war. In describing and analyzing how they taught about, learned from and commemorated the war, she delves into the long term lessons that they tried to present to their adherents regarding Jewish life and death in Europe under the Nazis. A must read for anyone interested in the Holocaust, Haredi Society, and the State of Israel."—Judy Tydor (Baumel) Schwartz, Director of The Arnold and Leona Finkler Institute of Holocaust Research

"Holocaust Memory in Ultraorthodox Society in Israel is a gem. With meticulous scholarship and deep sensitivity, she explores the return to life of Haredi survivors on a personal, communal and institutional level. She depicts the robust interplay between the Ultraorthodox narrative and the dominant Zionist narrative in Israel, showing how deeply intertwined they were in the era between liberation and the Eichmann trial. She examines the narratives that have reinforced the belief of the devout and allowed them to reconstruct their shattered world piece by piece. Her work shows the enormous courage and determination it took for these individuals and this community to rebuild in the aftermath of destruction. The journey back after the Shoah/Churban/Holocaust is one of the most miraculous events in all of Jewish history, one we have seen and continue to see with our own eyes."—Michael Berenbaum, Director of Sigi Ziering Institute, American Jewish University

"Shaul's comprehensive analysis of the unprecedented growth of post-World War II Orthodox Jewish society is masterful and groundbreaking. Her meticulous research and honest assessment make this work truly unique."—Ruth Lichtenstein, Publisher, Hamodia Newspaper/Director, Project Witness/Editor in Chief, Witness to History

"One of the book's great strengths is substantial quotation of those individuals dedic ted to rebuilding the prewar European Torah world. From their stirring words we are able to gl an the passion that was necessary to go forward in the wake of numbing losses."—Alan Rosen - Jerusalem, Israel